“Like when he sensed Prince was trying to kill his monkey through dreams,” says Brando from the back seat.

The casting of Fiennes, who is white, to play the King of Pop was controversial when it was announced last year, which could be why comments have been disabled on the trailer, posted to YouTube.

Here's Joseph Fiennes, sans the weird makeup. Evan Agostini | AP

“This is territory that is sensitive,” Fiennes told The Associated Press. “One must determine if this portrayal is one that is going to be positive entertainment, and one that will not bring about division and put anyone’s noses out of joint, so I went with the mind that this was a positive light-hearted comedy.

“I deal in imagination, so I don’t think imagination should have rules stamped on them. If it promotes stereotyping, then it’s wrong. I made a distinction that the Jackson project doesn’t do that.”

The trailer also features scenes from other shows in the “Urban Myths” series. In one, “Game of Thrones” star Iwan Rheon plays Adolf Hitler and “Harry Potter” star Rupert Grint is his friend. In another, Ben Chaplin plays Cary Grant.